Lost Hero

Meetings

It wasn't hard to get past the police outside and Percy started understanding how exactly crime ran rampant in the city. She ran once she was far enough away not to look suspicious. She needed to run, to fight. She felt almost frantic as she lept her way through the city. But she miscalculated, stepped on a roof tile that was loose, and felt herself slip. 

A burst of sea spray and the accompanying smell of the ocean immediately made her relax as she was caught from going tumbling down onto the street below. Not that she wouldn't have caught herself, but it felt nice being caught and being in her dad's arms. 

"Hey, dad, nice to see you," She says, leaning her head on the Hawaiian shirt. 

"Percy, what are you doing? You need to come home," Posideon says, placing a hand on Percy's head. 

"I can't. I tried to be at camp, I tried to be with mom, but I just can't. I'm good here, no one knows my past, no one sees me as a broken war veteran. I'm just Percy, the security guard, and occasional bodyguard," Percy says, pulling away while smiling. 

"I know you wish to be removed from the gods and mythical world, that you want to be done with fighting. So what are you doing?" Posideon asks, referring to the numerous criminals she had already taken down that night. 

"I said I wanted to make my own decisions and at the time I chose to leave and stop fighting. I'm changing my mind now, I want to help this city. At the beginning of the night, it was to do my job and protect Bruce and Dick, then it was to blow off steam. But seeing the city? It's horrible, the things they do to each other here. They need help, and maybe I won't be able to do a lot, but I'm going to do what I can," Percy says and Posideon smiles sadly, pride radiating off him. 

He knew when she left that she couldn't be done saving the day because that wasn't who she was. She was a fighter, a protector. She would be lost without helping others, and he knew that that would be a fate worse than death for her. While he was afraid for her safety, of losing her in battle, he knew that if he somehow forced or convinced her to stop, that that would kill her more than any god, titan, monster, or mortal ever could. The least he could do was protect her as best as he could. 

"Then take this. Just imagine armor and it'll appear. It should help with the mist in order to conceal your scars, should you wish. While you have the armor on, you will look different to others so you don't need to worry about your identity and hide it with a mask, although I hear they are all the rage nowadays," Posideon says, holding his hand out to Percy. 

She holds hers out and takes the object she was given. Looking at it, it was a single black pearl strung on a white cord, a knot on each side. Posideon takes it back from her and helps her put it on, a warmth radiating from it into her. She sighs and places a hand on it. An image of the beach with soft waves lapping at the shore is brought forth in her mind's eye. This, this was the feeling she wanted to bring to the people of Gotham, the feeling of peace, of protection. 

"Thank you, dad," Percy says, looking up with appreciation. 

"It also enhances your abilities. And since I think it's a little unfair Nico has the ability to transport and you don't, you now have the ability to vapor travel," Posideon says and Percy frowns, not understanding. 

"What do you mean?" Percy asks, fiddling with the necklace. 

"Just imagine yourself somewhere and focus as if using your powers to pull you there. It might take a while for you to perfect," Posideon says, waving his hand as if swatting her questions away. 

"Just be safe, okay baby girl?" Posideon asks and Percy nods, although both know that she could never really be safe. 

"Oh, and don't be too mad, alright?"

Before Percy can say anything else, Posideon is gone. 

Alright, let's try this out. Focusing on the warmth coming from the necklace, she focuses on the mansion, more clearly on the street side of the front gate. Her stomach simultaneously drops out from her while clenching. Feeling herself evaporate, splitting into thousands of pieces was disconcerting, to say the least. She feels like throwing up but she has no stomach, throat, or mouth to throw up with. 

After an agonizing few seconds that feel like hours, she feels herself becoming solid again, feet planted on the ground. And to her great embarrassment, she collapses. But before she can hit the ground, strong arms catch her, preventing her from bashing her head in on the floor. 

"Percy?" 

That was not the voice she wanted to hear. Hell, she didn't want to hear a voice in the first place. 

Looking up at the kind older man, her face blanched, turning whiter than it already was. 

"Alfred?" She asks, voice faint.